


Even If It Hertz

by belmoth



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College AU, F/F, PTSD, Slow Burn, TLOU AU, minor Abby & Lev
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:01:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25522522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belmoth/pseuds/belmoth
Summary: "Despite moving many times in her life, the arrival at her new home- a strange thought she hadn’t fully come to terms with yet- was unlike any she had experienced before. There were the familiar feelings that always seemed to accompany change: nervousness, bouts of regret, home-sickness; but there was something else now, something she knew was different. A fear she hadn’t felt since Marlene’s death. Except this time, Ellie reminded herself, she had control of where that change took her."ORThe Engineering Major College AU where Ellie is trying to escape her past, Dina is struggling to stay afloat, and Jesse is just trying to be a good friend.
Relationships: Abby & Lev (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Jesse (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 100





	1. Welcome to Hillcrest University

Ellie couldn’t stop the shaking. She hated these moments. When she became a stranger in her own body. Her hand remained twitching at her side long after she had tucked her cellphone and the unread message into her back pocket. Her fingers itched. To open the device or smash it into the ground, Ellie couldn’t decide, so she took the cautionary route of turning it on silent and hoping to forget it’s presence. It rarely worked.

Ellie didn’t know to be grateful or not for the bustling noise heard through the thin walls of her room; it seemed to grow louder and more insistent as each day progressed, and today the symphony reached a crescendo. Except, this orchestra seemed to be composed of clumsy teenagers blindly stumbling their way down the dorm corridor, managing to crash into her wall every few steps. 

However, the zoo outside her dorm room also served as a greatly appreciated distraction. With the ceaseless noise, the weight in her pocket was soon forgotten and her hand stilled at her side. The downside was that her eyes once again gravitated to the empty bed situated against the opposite wall. It was only a matter of time now before a new face walked through the door. 

With crossed arms and furrowed eyebrows, Ellie stood by her window, looking down at the quad below. If anyone were to glance up, they would see what looked to be a rather angry young woman glaring down at the orientation and sign-in booths that were methodically cluttered across the school’s entrance. Students and their families scurried around in hordes. The peaceful and contemplative quiet Ellie had grown accustomed to over the past week was gone.

Despite moving many times in her life, the arrival at her new home- a strange thought she hadn’t fully come to terms with yet- was unlike any she had experienced before. There were the familiar feelings that always seemed to accompany change: nervousness, bouts of regret, home-sickness; but there was something else now, something she knew was different. A fear she hadn’t felt since Marlene’s death. Except this time, Ellie reminded herself, she had control of where that change took her.

And right now, that change needed to take her out of the room that was driving her mad. Ellie wasn’t a fan of crowds. Cramped spaces and loud noises made her scar itch, but there were still things she needed to take care of, some of which were in the quad. On top of that, waiting for her roommate to show up was making her anxious. The prospect of confronting the hurricane of students didn’t excite her, but Ellie also wanted to check out the Isaac Wolff Engineering Center before her classes began on Monday. The building was closed to regular students before the semester, but there was a possibility that it would be open as a showcase for curious parents. 

As she got ready to leave, Ellie contemplated for a minute before wrapping her arm in a bandage. She was not in the mood to deal with the stares and questions of overzealous orientation guides. If Seattle weren’t in the midst of a record-breaking heatwave, she might’ve considered just wearing a flannel shirt over the tank top she had on. But alas, sweating like a pig would do little to quell attention from onlookers. 

Navigating through the hallways and down the three flights of stairs was difficult, made harder by her elevated heartbeat and short breaths; but once she opened the door and emerged into the quad, the open space helped ease her body. For a moment at least, until the sudden lack of air-conditioning overwhelmed her and the heat seeped into her very bones. 

“Ellie!” 

A familiar voice called her name before she could retreat back into the building. In front of Ellie, the form of a man was jogging towards her. Even though the glint of the sun blinded him from her view, Ellie knew who it was instantly. She had spent most of the summer with him after all. 

“Jesse.” Ellie chuckled when he finally came into view, blocking the sun from her vision as he stood before her. He was drenched in sweat, his black hair plastered against his forehead and neck. It had grown since she had last seen him. She made a mental note to ask him about/make fun of his mullet-like do. 

“What’s going on? I’ve been trying to reach you for an hour.” Jesse struggled between pants. Man, he was worn. How long had he been running around? She wanted to make fun of him for being out of shape, but his expression was a mix of seriousness and concern. 

“I- sorry… my phone’s off.” Jesse gave her a strange look then, one that told Ellie that he didn’t believe her. She could see the cogs turning in his brain as he thought of a response. In the end, he just nodded. Ellie liked that about him. 

“What are you doing right now?” He straightened his back and looked at her expectantly. “Do you want to grab a late lunch? Catch up?”

There was excitement creeping into his voice and reflected in the smile that was slowly spreading across his face. Ellie smiled back. She had been so preoccupied over the past month she hadn’t thought about the fact they were university students. Jesse and she had spent the entire summer dreaming about college, and now they were here. A pang of guilt halted the happiness spreading in her chest. She hadn’t talked to Jesse in a month. He didn’t know Ellie was already moved in. 

Jesse seemed to notice her change in mood because he nudged her shoulder playfully. His excitement was still present, but his grin became a more self-contained smile, “Hey, there’s this great on-campus restaurant not far from here.” 

“Oh yeah?” Ellie looked up with a hesitant smile. 

“Let’s go. It’s way too hot to be outside right now,” Jesse grinned and nodded his head in the direction he came from, urging Ellie to follow after him. “Oh! I’ve gotta tell you about this girl I met.” 

If Ellie was feeling semantic she would tell Jesse that the tiny 70’s style diner with the chrome exterior and flashing neon sign that spelled out Leah’s Table, was in fact, not a restaurant. However, saying that would lead to an argument about the qualifications an establishment must meet in order to be considered a restaurant, and any such argument was a lost cause against Mr. President of the Debate Club himself, Jesse Chang. 

However, once she looked past the campy exterior, cliche red booths and tile floors of the interior, the corny pinstripe dresses the waitresses wore, and just about every other c-word that captured Ellie’s contempt, the food was… pretty damn good actually. Definitely not restaurant good, but great for an on-campus spot. And inexpensive too. Ellie knew this place would be popular during the semester. 

“So…” Jesse started with a content sigh, having just finished his second glass of water, “Where have you been?”

Ellie, who had been resting her chin on her palm, sat up straighter. Her hand gravitated up and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. Jesse was toeing the line of a conversation she definitely wasn’t looking forward to. Seeing the look of genuine concern on his face though quashed her rising dread. Now all that remained was guilt. 

“Jesse, I’m sorry. I- I know I just vanished... I was going to tell you-” 

Before she could finish, Jesse raised up his hand, cutting her off before she could ramble herself to an early grave. 

“Hey, relax man. You have your reasons, I just want to know you’re alright. Why don’t we just catch up? When’d you get here?” 

Ellie sighed through her nose. Yeah, she definitely didn’t deserve Jesse. He had always been understanding and sincere, even before they became close. Sure, he had been an understanding and sincere dick back in high school, but… people change. Or maybe she just got to know him. 

“Uh… last week?” Ellie said quickly, averting her gaze down to the partially finished plate of scrambled eggs in front of her. 

Jesse who had been mid-bite nearly spit his food out. As to avoid that, he swallowed his burger without chewing, resulting in a coughing fit. Ellie pushed her water cup across the table and he eagerly chugged the contents down. Three whole cups in five minutes. That had to be a record for the establishment.

“Last week!” Jesse said with wide eyes. The look he was sending her way was nothing short of incredulous. 

“Sorry?” Ellie was back to feeling sheepish, offering Jesse a nervous smile.

He laughed in disbelief, “Damn man, you coulda helped me move in. I got here yesterday.”

Ellie raised her eyebrows, thinking back to the comment he made earlier, “Wow. 24 hours and you’ve already met a girl.” 

At that, Ellie could safely say that the conversation had moved on. Jesse’s entire demeanor changed. His usual suave attitude was replaced with a hand to the forehead, a dopey smile that Ellie almost couldn’t believe, and a… was that a dreamy look in his eyes or had that blunt from last night still not worn off?

Jesse sat forward, hands splayed out across half the table, like one of those salesmen who think aggressive body language would make you buy their product. The sheer intensity in his eyes caused Ellie to lean back unconsciously. 

“Ellie… not just any girl. The girl of my dreams!” From the look in his eyes, Jesse was mentally picking out a flattering tux and choosing the most cost-effective travel agency to plan a honeymoon. “Oh my god, she was incredible and her head game-”

Ellie wrinkled her nose. Now she had a mental image of her own to deal with. “Oh god, please stop, I’m gonna vomit.”

Jesse sat back, a devious grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’m just messing with you… I mean not really but-”

Ellie covered her face with her hand, “Jesse.”

“Alright, alright. She was amazing though,” There was a lull then, Jesse leaning back, a soft smile playing on his lips. He shook his head lightly to no one but himself and exhaled. ”She was beautiful and funny and had the most amazing ass… and the best part? I’m gonna see her again.”

Ellie was watching her best friend in interest. She had never seen Jesse so… love-struck, for lack of a better word. It was strange, but she was happy for him. The last girl he had dated was Jessica in Junior year, a soft-spoken sweet girl he had grown up with. Before they had become friends, Ellie had to contain a laugh whenever she saw them together. Jesse and Jessica. Yeah, she wasn’t surprised when they broke up early Senior year. 

“Wow, you’re really in love, huh? How’d you meet her.”

“A frat party.” 

Ellie burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Jesse said indignantly. 

Ellie did her best to regain composure, but Jesse’s scrunched eyebrows and downturned lips made it all that much harder not to laugh at the situation. She had been picturing some chance encounter on a candlelit bridge in downtown Seattle, but no they probably got hot and heavy in a piss covered frat house bathroom. Just the thought of that made her shutter. 

After a moment, Ellie resorted to covering her grin with a hand. “How romantic.”

Jesse steepled his fingers together against the table and articulated the way he did when presenting in class. “What’s more romantic than finding love in a loveless place.”

Ellie’s eyebrows shot skyward. “Wow. What’s her name?”

“Uh…”

Ellie was back to guffawing, the annoyed eyes of other patrons not enough to end her outburst. She probably looked absolutely crazy. “Wow, Jesse. Sounds like true love.”

“She gave me her number!” he said defensively.

“...Does it work?”

Jesse looked at a loss for a moment, seeming to not have taken into consideration that his mystery girl might’ve given him a fake number. He reached into his pocket and hastily pulled out his phone. Ellie shook her head, that grin still on her face. She felt like she hadn’t smiled this much in a month. She hadn’t now that she thought about it. God, she missed this. 

“Let me try.” Jesse said, a dash of nervousness in his tone that Ellie caught under his confident exterior. 

Ellie watched as he typed and deleted messages. He had been going at it for a solid two minutes before she intervened, plucking the phone from his fingers. She vigorously typed a message of her own, something far more meaningful and honest than the ‘Hey, this is Jesse from the party’ he had written. 

“Hey! What are you typing?”

Jesse reached across the table and tried to wrangle his phone out of Ellie’s grasp. Ellie kicked his shin from under the table, causing him to flail his arms and knock over both of their empty water cups. See, definitely not a restaurant. If it were, they would’ve been kicked out.

“Ow! Ellie what the hell!” 

Ellie gave him a sweet smile before passing the phone back to him, message sent. He snatched his phone back with a glare and began to read the text, face slowly morphing into panic as his eyes flitted across the screen.

“Don’t be shy, read it out loud,” Ellie said smugly.

“Hey, mystery woman. I can’t get you off my mind. I keep thinking about last night. Your lovely aroma covered the smell of piss and kegger vomit- Jesus fucking Christ Ellie I’ll never forgive you for this. I’d love to see you again, preferably somewhere without those things.”

Jesse stared at her. Ellie stared back. The woman in the booth behind them let out a strangled laugh that she covered poorly with a cough.

“Payback’s a bitch.” Ellie spoke curtly. Jesse huffed. 

“Are you still mad about that? Ellie, she wanted to go out with you, you were the one too embarrassed to say yes-”

Ellie scoffed, “That’s because you humiliated me in front of her. And besides, the message I sent will totally make her want to go out with you.”

“This reaction is completely disproportionate-” Jesse waved his phone for emphasis.

Ellie rolled her eyes and observed her friend as he frantically began typing, doing his best to salvage the situation. Personally, she didn’t think that what she had typed was a bad start. Smelling good was a complement of the highest degree at a frat party. 

Ellie took a moment to appreciate the comfortable exchange they were having. It felt so good and so familiar; she could almost pretend the past month never happened. When he was seemingly satisfied, Jesse held out his phone for her to see. There was the expected ‘Sorry, my friend wrote that’ text, followed by-

“Oh my god! You’re inviting her to the dinner!” Ellie looked up at her friend in disbelief. Out of both of their approaches, she would’ve pegged hers as safer. When it came to a hook up at least. Ellie chuckled, “Already introducing her to the folks, I see.”

“Yeah, if she wasn’t scared off by what you said.” Jesse joked, putting his phone down and starting to nervously fiddle with his fingers. It almost made Ellie feel bad. Almost. “Speaking of which, are you coming tonight?” He looked at her expectantly, eyes glancing down at his phone periodically.

Ellie inhaled sharply. It took a moment to come up with a response, Jesse too distracted to notice her hesitance. “Um- no I don’t think so. I’m gonna try to get my sleep back on schedule for classes next week.” 

She had Jesse’s undivided attention then, the dark-eyed boy looking at her with a puzzled expression. “Wasn’t Joel- ”

“I said no.” Ellie cut him off in a tone harsher than she had intended. 

Jesse stared at her with raised eyebrows, swallowing the rest of whatever he was about to ask. His ansty fingers stilled and Ellie could feel his eyes observing her profile as she looked out the window. The comfortable companionship they had slowly been working to reestablish after a month of absence came crashing to a halt. Ellie felt heat rising up her neck and face. She scowled out the window, causing a passing biker to do a double-take as a stranger glared him down. 

“Sorry.” Jesse said after a moment, looking away. He reached to pick up his phone but thought better of it and instead occupied his hands by intertwining his fingers, a nervous habit. 

Ellie took a deep breath. Jesse was looking anywhere else but her and Ellie too was avoiding eye contact while she got control of her spiralling thoughts. They sat in tense silence, an awkwardness they rarely experienced around each other coming to surface. Ellie’s hand was shaking. Clenching her fist, she moved it from the table to her lap, hoping Jesse wouldn’t notice.

“I’m-” 

Before Ellie could apologize, Jesse’s phone buzzed on the table. He hastily picked it up, a perfect out to the previous exchange. She could feel his knee bouncing up and down across from her, shaking the table. As he read the text, his body slowly began to relax and his frown morphed into a Cheshire cat smile.

“What did she say?” Ellie asked, eager to both know and put an end to the silence. 

Instead of answering, Jesse handed his phone to her.

 _Mystery Woman: hahaha your friend is funny. And I cant go to the dinner tonight im sorry :( but we should definitely hang out again soon ;)_

“I told you it would work.” Ellie smiled. 

Jesse spent the next few minutes glued to his phone. She was just grateful the awkwardness was gone, even if it meant having to walk her friend through talking to a girl. Why he thought Ellie would have the answer to whether or not he should ask a girl out before learning her name, she did not know. 

“Oh, how the tables have turned,” Ellie said with smug satisfaction, “Usually you’re the one giving me advice when it comes to affairs of the heart.” 

Jesse stared at her with a blank expression before seeming to come to a realization. “Why am I asking you? I’m way better at this than you.” Well, that’s one way to restore his confidence, Ellie thought. Didn’t sting any less.

“Ouch. How will I ever repair my ego?” 

The cheque was called after that. Ellie did her best to eat as much of the food that remained on her plate as possible, but she only managed a few mouthfuls before her appetite diminished. When the check came, the waitress gave Jesse a pretty smile before placing it down in front of him. An arrogant smirk was thrown Ellie’s way, to which she could only respond with an eye roll. Internally, she resigned to the fact that Jesse was, in fact, ‘way better’ than her when it came to women. 

They left the diner together, laughing side-by-side. However, as they made their way closer to central campus, the sun finally lowering in the sky and the breeze cooling her skin, Ellie found herself lagging behind. 

“Hey, Jesse…” The taller boy turned his head to give her a questioning look. “I’m sorry for being an asshole.” Ellie’s hands were buried deep in the pockets of her shorts and she stared down at the sidewalk where she was rolling a pebble with the sole of her sneaker. Jesse turned around fully then, taking a step forward. His own hands made their way into his pockets and he rolled back on his heels. 

“Sorry for being an asshole in there,” He gestured to Leah’s Table a few meters behind them, “or by quitting your job and abandoning me with a bunch of punk-ass 12 year-olds for a month.”

“Ha ha.” Ellie said, a small smile fighting its way onto her face. She bit her lip in thought, and with all the bashful sincerity she could muster, said, “Both.”

Talking with Jesse was easy. He respected her boundaries, he knew when to stop joking and, better yet, he knew how to make a heavy conversation comfortable. Tilting her head up, his lips were upturned in a kind yet playful smile. Ellie knew that so many girls found that reassuring look a charming quality, and right now she was inclined to agree with them. Even with his stupid mullet. 

“You honestly think I got to know you and wasn’t expecting you to pull some crazy shit like going MIA? Why do you think I made you promise to meet-up on move-in day 3 whole months before we even got here?”

Ellie chuckled, kicking the pebble away from her and beginning to walk down the street once again. “Fair enough.”

Jesse stopped her this time, lightly grabbing her arm. His smile was gone, but he looked at her with an honest intensity, “Look, I know I said you don’t have to talk to me, but if you do want to, I’m here.” Dropping her arm, he rested his hand on Ellie’s shoulder, “My friends' problems are my problems.”

Spending time with Jesse was cathartic. Ellie hadn’t realized how much she missed, no, how much she needed his company until she was talking to him about his hookups and laughing at his stupid jokes. He was a distraction- a supportive, kind, smartass distraction. One that didn’t bang on her walls and make her want to commit assault… most of the time. 

So, all she could do was stare at him in that moment. There weren’t words that could express the range of emotions she was feeling- but she did know that spending time with Jesse made her the most content she had been in months. His company made the university, made the move, made the change less daunting. Maybe he would make the pain more tolerable, even if for a few minutes at a time. 

A smile blossomed across Ellie’s face, “Jesse, you’re such a sap.”

Jesse let out a boisterous laugh. Jokingly, he leaned in closer and winked, “Should we kiss now?”

Ellie said nothing as he leaned in farther, the progressive raising of her eyebrows the only visible reaction. Only when their faces were mere inches apart did her neutral expression waver. Jesse too was struggling to keep a straight face and soon enough both of them had cracked and burst out in laughter. 

A passerby walking his dog gave the duo an odd stare as they howled on the pavement. Ellie came to her senses first, grabbing Jesse by his ear and leading him towards the quad, waving a friendly hand to the man who only shook his head in return.

With one last laugh, Ellie sighed. “Come on, I need to sort out my meal plan.”

* * *

Ellie couldn’t stop the shaking. She clutched tightly to the phone in her hand, waiting. What for, she wasn’t exactly sure of. For her phone to buzz perhaps. Waiting to find the courage to open her unread messages without crying, without screaming. Waiting for her hand to stop fucking shaking. Maybe she was just waiting for the day where her memories didn’t play over and over again in her mind, the million ‘what could have been’s clear as day, taunting her.

She had left Jackson hastily, taking only one bag and her backpack. Anything she could afford to leave behind, she did. All of the art she had created and hung proudly on her walls, all of the rejected band posters she had dumpster dived for behind the music shop in Jackson, all of it abandoned. It seemed like an obvious decision to leave them, Ellie having little room and time and patience to spare.

Now however, with moonlight streaming in through the window to illuminate stark walls, Ellie regretted glossing over such a minute aspect of her life; a small detail that she had grown so familiar with, finding comfort in its presence, only for its absence to leave her chest feeling hollow. Still, even that hole was nested in a far larger piece of herself that was missing.

Standing from her bed, Ellie padded across the carpeted floor to the wardrobe positioned flush against the back wall. It was an ugly thing that looked straight out of the 16th century, complete with chipped paint and crooked legs. It took up far too much space in the small room and the antiquity of it clashed with the brightly painted white walls. 

Against it leaned a guitar case. Ellie kneeled, reaching a hand out. She hovered for a moment before fully extending her hand, allowing her fingers to trace a path down the fiberglass shell. Her eyes followed its route, examining each haphazardly placed fading sticker with care, as if she were seeing them for the first time. Ellie paused over one sticker in particular, dead center of the case.

Endure and Survive. 

When she felt her thoughts begin to wander, Ellie forced her hand to continue on it’s downward path, trying not to think too deeply into the small smile that the accompanying memory had elicited. 

Her trip was cut short before the final destination. Thumbing the latch, the cold metal sent a jolt through Ellie’s body and she yanked her hand back as quickly as it had landed atop the worn clasp. She cradled her fingers close to her chest. It hadn’t hurt, but it was a psychological burn that made her scar sting. Ellie exhaled as slowly as she could manage, rubbing her arm. This was a flame she couldn’t allow herself to test. 

Despite this, a part of her- the missing part, Ellie suspected- was drawn to the warmth. A part of her wanted nothing more than to open it. To pull out that Taylor guitar that was so lovingly crafted; to feel the familiar smooth finish, to strum a familiar chord, to trace the familiar outline of that moth-

In that moment, Ellie wanted nothing more than to pull herself out of the darkness and let the fire consume her. It should have long ago.

But she didn’t. Instead, she closed her eyes and turned back to her bed. 

When she had parted ways with Jesse and returned to her room, the first thing she noticed was the well made bed, massive trans pride flag hanging on the wall, and notable absence of her roommate. Using her keen detective skills, Ellie figured they were probably at the family dinner, along with just about every other freshman student who moved in today. 

She was somewhat grateful she hadn’t met them yet. Finalizing her meal-plan had taken far longer than Ellie’s social meter had the patience for, and the crowds of anxious students and aggressive parents were overwhelming. Jesse was her saving grace, people-watching and cracking jokes with her as they waited in line. 

By the time they were finished, the sun had begun to sink and Ellie briefly exchanged greetings with Jesse’s parents when they arrived. Robin and Michelle invited her to join them, but Ellie had declined them politely. Jesse offered a kind smile before leading his parents away with one last wave. She figured being alone in her room was better than being alone in a packed hall. 

The dorm room night stands were pathetically small. Ridiculously so when compared to the wardrobes. The lamp she had placed on hers left only the corners of the surface free, just enough room for Ellie’s digital clock. It was half past nine. The dinner ended at eleven, giving students plenty of time to enjoy their last few hours with their families until Thanksgiving. Ellie’s mouth tasted bitter.

She needed to get out of there. 

Ellie was yet to explore the Engineering Center, having forgotten about it after seeing Jesse and his parents for the first time in too long. She knew it being open was a long shot, but she had a better chance of sneaking in or convincing a tired staff member to open the door for her while the quad was deserted for the first time that day.

Ellie slipped on her sneakers, not bothering to change out of her pajamas. She glanced briefly at the disposed bandage teetering on the edge of her nightstand as she made her way out the door. There was no point in covering up her scar when it was dark out and there was no one around. Plus, wearing it all day had been beyond uncomfortable.

Walking down the dorm corridor at night compared to earlier that day was a completely different experience. The hallway felt far wider without the people shoving their way around, toting mini-fridges, TVs, and mattress pads. Orange lights dotted the walls, flooding the hallway in what Ellie assumed to be an intended warm glow. She was never one to be easily spooked, but the lights felt more ominous than welcoming in the deserted hallway, giving her an extra spring in her step.

Ellie followed her earlier path, opting to descend by staircase instead of the elevator. Moving was far better than standing in place surrounded by mirrors. 

Opening the door outside, she looked across the quad where a massive brightly lit concrete building stood perpendicular to the dorm hall. As she had suspected, there were very few people out, only a handful of families strolling across the grounds, silhouettes illuminated by the street lights.

Ellie avoided the pathways, walking across the expansive lawn. Although the less safe option, the scenery was surprisingly beautiful. Most of her first week Ellie had been camped in her room, mind preoccupied with the previous weeks. However, now as she admired the freshly cut grass, sparse dotting of oak trees, and the cherry blossoms that lined the central pathway, she regretted overlooking the beauty of the campus. 

Ellie was usually a fast walker. She walked with purpose, a destination in mind. Moving fast, to put simply, was the way she grew up. You either remain two steps ahead of the world around you or you risked being swept away by the tornado of change. Now however, she discovered the appeal of ambling. 

The trees reminded her of the parks back in Boston. No matter what foster home she was placed in, she always managed to find her way to a park when she inevitably ran away. She spent hours upon hours sketching the sturdy oaks in her journal, profiling the young families that walked past, the old couples feeding the birds, the playing kids who would always stare at her. 

Ellie did it so frequently she was sent to the group home for months at a time. It was supposed to be tougher, the lesser option compared to simply behaving- and in many ways it was. It was harder to sneak out, the older kids were meaner, the caretaker didn’t bother to care; not the way most foster families pretended to. Ellie still managed to escape to the parks though, she just got better at returning. 

Shutting her eyes, Ellie shook away the memories. What should’ve been a three minute walk must’ve been closer to ten. Once her feet hit the hard tiled sidewalk and she emerged from the treeline, the Issac Wolff Center loomed over her.

The building appeared to be the most newly renovated location on campus. While the dormaratory was surely built during the 1800s with gothic arches and a steepled roof, this one was the picture of modern architecture. The Center was almost entirely made of glass, similar to a massive mirror. However, concrete ran up and down the building in columns between the panes of glass. Intricate slabs of metal were overlaid horizontally, making the entire structure look like a sleek tic-tac-toe board. 

The white lights of the interior seemed to brighten the entire surrounding area, causing Ellie’s eyes to squint uncomfortably. The reception was empty and from what she could see through the windows of the five-story building, the same was true for the rest of the Center. 

“What they lack in people, they make up for in an obnoxious amount of light fixtures.” Ellie grumbled to herself, making her way to the two double doors that led into the foyer. Locked, of course. 

She gave the door a half-hearted shake before taking a step back. Surely there was a window she could climb through. The side of the building was just around the corner, and if she remembered correctly, the wall departed from the building’s main design and was primarily made of concrete. 

Ellie waited for an older couple to pass before ducking through a collection of large bushes that led to the partially hidden side of the structure. A girl hovering alone at night in front of one of the most costly buildings at the university was not exactly the most innocent of sights.

Once she rounded the corner, her eyes immediately focused on the building's exterior. Ellie let out a quiet ‘hell yeah’ when she caught sight of a small rectangular window a couple feet ahead of her. Peering in, it looked to lead directly into a bathroom. Ellie ran her fingers along the window’s trim, feeling for any crevices to force open. It was sealed tight. She huffed in frustration.

Surely this was some kind of safety violation, Ellie thought to herself. What if there was a fire and she was trapped in the bathroom? The glass looked the same as the front of the building, and that was certainly not your run-of-the-miller brick-vulnerable glass that would shatter on impact. No, the Engineering Center held millions of dollars worth of expensive equipment and devices, they’d invest in something sturdier. Polycarbonate perhaps...?

“Are you trying to break in?” 

Ellie swung her head around, heart skipping a beat. She was fully ready to fight whoever had spoken, or absolutely book it if they were very tall, but when she turned she was met with the sight of a young woman sitting atop a large boulder behind her. Ellie felt like a fool for not noticing her before, and tried not to dwell on how easily it would’ve been for someone to have jumped her while she was busy being a glass connoisseur. 

“That depends, do you work here?”

“If I worked here would I be loitering in the one place without cameras?” If Ellie hadn’t been preoccupied with warily watching the women, she would’ve groaned. She seriously forgot about the cameras. Definitely a great place to be attacked. “Don’t bother with the window, I already tried. This place is impenetrable.” 

Ellie looked at her then, really looked at her. It was hard to see the woman clearly, but the combination of the Center’s light streaming through the window behind her and the rays of moonlight filtering through the surrounding trees allowed her to just about make out some of the woman’s features. 

Her hair was the black of space and her eyes, almond-shaped, looked the same in the low-lighting. She wore a loose white blouse and cream-colored dress pants, yet she paid no mind to her formal attire, subtle grass stains marking the fabric over her knees. Her hair was pulled neatly back into a ponytail, loose pieces framing either side of her face. 

And her face, god. 

The woman’s lips were curved slightly and her eyes squinted in amusement. Suddenly, Ellie became fully aware of how long she had been staring, saying nothing. With a blush, she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. The woman was gazing at her searchingly. Normally the scrutinization would make Ellie’s skin crawl, but the way she was being regarded was not uncomfortable. The woman seemed curious if anything, friendly even. 

“Nice dinos.”

Ellie blinked, and then looked down at her pajama pants. They were patterned with various cartoon dinosaurs. When she tilted her head back up, the woman had hopped off the boulder and was walking towards Ellie- slowly, cautiously, as if she were afraid Ellie was a frightened animal that would dash into the trees at any sudden movement.

“Thanks.” She responded, crossing her arms against her chest and refusing to step back as the woman drew closer. She wasn’t a frightened animal. Why she felt the need to prove that to a stranger, Ellie couldn’t begin to know. 

“You’d think a university renowned for its engineering program would let students into their fucking engineering building.” The woman drawled, lazily gesturing to the building beside them. 

She was still intent on staring at Ellie and now she was close enough to her that Ellie could see that her eyes were not black- no, they were a deep and rich brown. Her hair the color of space was complemented by stars scattered across her face. Or maybe the brown freckles were more akin to a meteor field- 

Fuck, Ellie thought to herself, what were these goddamn space metaphors. 

“You don’t talk much, do you?” The woman said, and for the first time that night, Ellie noticed the rolled blunt she fiddled between her index and middle fingers.

“Uh…”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” The woman laughed, an endearing grin lighting up her face. “Here.” 

She must’ve seen Ellie eyeing it, because she passed the blunt to her and Ellie was left speechless for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. The woman was watching, looking up through her eyelashes, waiting for Ellie to react. When she didn’t, the woman reached into her pocket to reveal a lighter. 

“You look like you need to relax.” She dismissed when Ellie looked at her with what she could only imagine to be a befuddled expression. She was certainly feeling befuddled. 

When Ellie didn’t move, the woman did. She reached out and took the blunt back from Ellie, her fingers grazing over her knuckles and lingering for a moment before drawing her hand back. Ellie watched the woman as she slowly lifted the roll up to her mouth and lit the end. She took a hit and passed it to the other girl who accepted after a moment of hesitance. 

“Thanks.”

The woman shuffled her feet, one hand resting on her hip. She frowned slightly, “Is ‘thanks’ all you say?”

Ellie chuckled nervously and looked down at her feet, “Among other things.”

The woman hummed in thought, turning her head to the side and looking at Ellie. That small smile, reserved yet telling, had returned, “Like what?”

Ellie stared at her. “Like... you have grass stains on your pants.”

“Oh, fuck. Really?” The woman looked down, eyes wide, all deliberate actions thrown to the wind. 

Ellie almost regretted pointing the marks out, missing the woman’s smile when it was replaced with a frown and over-the-top groan. She did, however, find a new interest in tracing the lines of the woman’s face with her eyes, imagining how her pencil would dance across her journal, outlining the scrunch of her nose or the furrow of her eyebrows. 

She straightened up after a moment, plucking the blunt from Ellie’s fingers, “Fuck it.” 

“Were you going to the dinner?” Ellie asked slowly, the vocal minority in her brain winning her internal debate. “Just… nice clothes is all.” 

She was sure she had crossed a line when the woman paused. The blunt was hovering in front of her mouth now, held by her index finger and thumb. Her eyes spaced out, looking into the light of the window. Just when Ellie was about to apologize, the woman took a long inhale from the blunt, passed it to Ellie, and shook her head no, “Didn’t have anyone to go with. You?”

Ellie blew out a puff of smoke. Maybe the high was already affecting her, maybe it was the odd solidarity she felt with the stranger before her, but regardless, she answered truthfully. “Same.”

They looked at each other, a quiet understanding passing between the two of them. After a moment, the woman leaned her back against the side of the building and slowly slid down the wall until she hit the grass. Her arms stretched up in the air and her legs extended out in front of her. The action reminded Ellie of the stray cats that roamed around Jackson. The woman beckoned her down.

“We gonna finish this, or what?” 

Ellie looked around, and then up at the night sky. Well, she didn’t have anything better to do. 

“Fuck yeah, we are.” 

Long after the blunt had crumbled onto the grass, dew drop extinguishing any trace of heat remaining, Ellie and the woman sat across from each other still. The dinner must have finished long ago, but the two women sat together, laughing obnoxiously as the stranger quizzed Ellie on the different dinosaurs that made up her pajama bottoms.

“And what is this one?” The woman said with a goofy smile, poking Ellie’s thigh. 

Ellie giggled at the contact. She giggled. It must’ve been the pot, she thought to herself. It certainly had nothing to do with the way her breath seemed to disappear from right out her lungs when the woman looked her way.

“That’s a dilophosaurus.” The woman burst out in melodic, bordering manic, laughter. 

“What kinda name is that?” The woman practically yelled. “Imagine spending years excavating and finally, finally, you find something… only to name it dickophosaurus.”

Ellie was laughing now, “I said Dilophosaurus. It means two-crested lizard, named for the crests of its skull-”

“Oh my god, you’re a nerd!” The woman interrupted. She scooted forward, closer, looking at Ellie with an indescribable expression, as if trying to transcribe a foreign language. There her breath went again. “I should’ve figured. Who breaks into an Engineering Center for fun.”

Ellie squinted at her. “Didn’t you say you tried to?”

The woman laughed and gave a single nod as if to say ‘touche’. “Hey, I never said I wasn’t a nerd. But dinosaurs… really?”

“Dinosaurs are fucking awesome, what are you talking about.” Ellie scoffed. Despite her knowing that she’s absolutely fucking right, Ellie couldn’t help the blush that rose in her cheeks. Cartoon dinosaurs were a... less-than-adult pajama choice. Ellie grumbled, “They’re way cooler than what you’re wearing.”

“Hey, I look hot in these,” The woman said. She eyed the grass stains on her knees, mouth twisting in disdain, “Well, I used to.”

They sat in silence then, Ellie feeling lighter than she had in a while. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the concrete wall. The world was always so loud, but right now the noise was music to her ears. The sound of the city, a living, breathing melody just outside of the university grounds. The far-off farewells of parting loved-ones, laughter and excitement for the new school year- a sweet harmony. 

Opening her eyes, she watched the leaves of surrounding trees dance to the city’s music, crickets chirping in time. It made Ellie want to sing, but before she could hum a note, she was broken out of her trance by the sound of a sigh.

“My sister was supposed to go with me.” Ellie turned her head to the woman beside her, seeming to be caught in a world of her own like Ellie had been. She motioned with her hands as she spoke, talking less to Ellie than the world around her. Adding her own voice into it’s song. “To the dinner, I mean. But… she couldn’t make it.”

“Why didn’t you go anyways?” Ellie asked softly. The woman didn’t meet her eye, only stared ahead, biting her lip. 

“I wasn’t going to sit around there feeling sorry for myself.” She said after a moment. There was no bite in her words, only… acceptance. 

Ellie turned her head skyward once more. She felt her heartbeat drum in her chest, her thoughts ringing in the chasm of her mind. The peaceful tune turned raucous, tainted. Was it really so simple? 

“I should go.” The woman said, drawing Ellie from her introspection. 

She stood up, looking down at Ellie with a sweet and knowing smile that left her dizzy. Before Ellie could stand or even just say good-bye, the woman turned to walk away. Once she reached the bushes, the University’s wardrobe that led out of the secret Narnia they had discovered, the woman glanced behind her.

“I’ll see you around, Nerd. Oh, by the way, if you get caught, I wasn’t here.” And with that she dipped through the hedge and disappeared from sight.

Ellie blinked. Maybe she had wandered into Narnia, the woman a mythical being sent to bless travelers with weed and insightfulness. The nymph of the Engineering Center. Oh god, Ellie realized, maybe she was a nerd. 

Returning to her dorm room was a short affair. She took the same route she had before, even walking at the same pace; but she hardly noticed the steps taken between ducking out of the bushes and opening the door to her room. Although her high was yet to wear off, and her body feather-light, she felt an unprecedented clarity. The fog that had been clouding her mind was cleared away by a wind of determination. 

Barely noticing the human-shaped lump that was curled under the blanket of her roommates’ bed, Ellie headed straight for her nightstand where she had left her phone face down on one of the corners. She typed in the passcode and opened her messages. 

_Old Man: Hey, Kiddo. Just checking up. I called the university. They told me you had applied for early move-in. I’m glad you’re safe. I understand if you don’t want to talk to me right now, but I was worried about you. I know you don’t want to hear it, but please consider coming back for Thanksgiving. Or even just go up to Tommy’s place. I know he’d have you._

Ellie blinked away tears and swallowed the anger threatening to rise up her throat until she screamed her voice away. She had already spent what felt like a lifetime doing that and it had gotten her nowhere. Instead, she opened his contact and allowed her finger to hover over the red trash bin- but she hesitated, eyes and heart and mind caught on the last message he had sent her. 

_Old Man: I love you, baby girl. Stay safe._

Ellie stared and stared and stared, hoping that the words would hold some answers. That they would tell her the right thing to do. But reading them for the tenth time compared to the first offered no new revelations. No, it only caused her chest to tighten with pain, with guilt, with regret, with fear. So many emotions that infuriated her as much as they hurt her. This was a choice that Ellie had to make alone. And it’s a choice she had already begun to.

She would leave behind her posters, she would leave behind her drawings, and she would leave behind _Joel_. Ellie wasn’t going to sit around and feel sorry for herself. No, she was going to pack up and move on, she was going to leave behind the pain. No matter the cost. And with renewed resolve, Ellie clicked the ‘delete contact’ button and turned her phone off. 

As she drifted off to sleep, mind hazy and thoughts askew, Ellie’s eyes wandered to the hideous abomination of a wardrobe. The sight elicited a shaky laugh from her lips, eyes still slightly teary and voice hoarser than usual. However, as her eyes wandered to the black case that leaned against it, the humor and relief faded. In its place crept doubt, a single question that she couldn’t shake. 

A single piece of her past that she couldn’t leave behind.


	2. Second Impressions

Dina was not a sporty person. That’s not to say she’s unathletic- no, she ran track in high school, a habit that she was proud to say stuck with her. But she never truly understood the appeal of running around chasing a moving object. It was boring to watch and felt pointless to play. However, when Jesse had texted her the previous day asking to hang out before the semester started, she was mildly intrigued. 

Intrigued enough to join a game of pick-up ultimate frisbee with him. 

Dina quickly realized that she should’ve declined. The heat was intense, making her lungs burn and hair stick to the back of her neck. All of the boys she was playing with had long since disposed of their shirts. Lucky bastards. It was a sight she would’ve had an appreciation for from the comfort of the sidelines, but the appeal wore off when their sweaty chests and body odor collided into her for what felt like the hundredth time since they started. 

“Alright, water break!” The opposing team captain yelled, a ridiculously muscular woman. Dina found her more enjoyable to look at when the woman’s physique and intense competitiveness weren’t imposing down on her.

Collapsing on the ground with a sigh, Dina reached for her water: a flimsy sixteen-ounce plastic water bottle she had been reusing for the past couple of days since she moved. She would have invested in an actual flask had she known that the ‘activity’ Jesse so eagerly wanted to take her to was the most intense cardio workout she had experienced since graduating. Needless to say, the water lasted only a few gulps before running out.

“Here.” Jesse, in all of his shirtless, surprisingly muscular glory said, blocking the sun from her view. In his hand, he had extended towards her face the beautiful sight of an aluminum bottle.

“Oh my god, you’re a lifesaver!” Dina practically moaned, gratefully taking the container. 

She drank the water in a manner that would’ve certainly garnered a chiding from her sister had she witnessed Dina acting so shamelessly. Jesse, for his part, didn’t seem to mind. As a matter of fact, Dina could see him grinning out of the corner of her eye as he sat cross-legged beside her.

“Hey, you… are you enjoying yourself?” He asked twiddling his thumbs while side-eyeing her.

Dina hid the smile that was threatening to break free, keeping the bottle pressed against her lips. It had become immediately clear upon his arrival to her door that he did not remember her name. Well, that wasn’t quite true. She had been nursing a growing suspicion since the previous day when after several hours of texting, he had not once mentioned her name. So, naturally, Dina made a game out of how long he could make it before shamefully asking for her name.

Jesse almost certainly noticed her poorly attempted subtly. The boy just couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Normally, such attention would be unwelcome, but something about this boy was incredibly endearing. Endearing enough to give him her number, endearing enough to find the name-incident more amusing than annoying, and endearing enough to voluntarily hang out with her hook-up outside of, well, hooking up. 

Dina had never been one to indulge in one night stands. Too complicated, too many feelings and STDs that could be caught. Friday night though, she threw caution to the wind. The move had… taken its toll on her. And Jesse was the right person at the right time. When she was seeking company, he was there. 

She was lucky to have found Jesse amongst the crowds of douchebags. It was like sifting through Goodwill and discovering an accessory that matched so perfectly with your outfit it seemed to be made for you; a hidden treasure, one that you’d rarely find at even the most expensive of stores. The way he looked at Dina, from the moment they had met, had never been with the needy and predatory eyes men often exuded. He looked as out of place as Dina felt. Maybe she had gravitated to him after all. 

“Absolutely. Time of my life.” Dina deadpanned, wiping her brow. Jesse’s confident smile wavered at her less-than-thrilled response. Dina immediately felt guilty. Leaning across his body, hands resting against his thigh, she stared at him. Abandoning the humorous lilt in her voice, Dina said with sincerity, “I’m glad you brought me. My lazy ass never would’ve done this voluntarily.” 

Was she taking advantage of the boy’s embarrassingly obvious crush on her, reassuring his need for validation? Yes, she was. Consider it payback for forgetting her name; but was she also doing it for his sake? Yes. It helped that Dina wholeheartedly meant what she said.

The blush that kissed his cheeks elicited a smile from Dina. As much as his person was what drew her to Jesse, she couldn’t deny his ruggedly handsome appearance, his reddened face an adorable contrast. From his sharp bone structure to the light stubble that graced his upper lip, he was a damn catch. And his body, wow. She’d been too wasted to appreciate Jesse’s physique at the party. He even managed to make his haircut, something that dangerously resembled a mullet, look good. 

“So… you’re happy?” The boy asked, the nervousness he had been trying to subdue unabashedly coming to surface, face twisting into a vulnerable expression.

Dina leaned back, allowing one hand to linger and give his knee a reassuring squeeze. “Yes. Just give me a heads up next time. ”

As if a switch had flipped, Jesse’s face relaxed and his charming smile returned. Nudging her shoulder gently, he spoke with a playful tone, “‘Next time’, huh?”

Before Dina could respond, the muscular woman from earlier approached and sat down across from the duo. If Dina thought she looked impressive from afar, then whew, trying to describe her now was like trying to describe a color that doesn’t exist. You think you have the words on the tip of your tongue and then your brain registers that it’s not possible. 

The woman looked like she could easily bench both Jesse and Dina’s combined bodyweight. With the body of she-hulk and the face of a Victoria’s Secret model- both of which are a complement in Dina’s book- to say she was intimidating would be an understatement. However, her physical appearance juxtaposed the pretty smile that graced her face and lit up her features in what could only be described as an adorable manner. 

“You’re one hell of a captain, the way you run your team.” The woman offered up her hand, eyes remaining focused on Jesse. Dina didn’t mind being glossed over, free to openly admire the woman’s biceps. “My name’s Abby.”

“Jesse. And this is…” 

Pausing the heated discussion inside her mind about whether she was envious of the woman’s arms or attracted to them, Dina looked to Jesse who was waiting expectantly for her to answer. The woman too was now watching her curiously. Tricky motherfucker. Dina squinted at Jesse, briefly considering giving up a fake name. Sighing in resignation, she opted to cut him some slack and take the loss. 

“Dina. Nice to meet you.” The woman nodded to her, holding out her hand and finally acknowledging her presence. Both, Dina decided then as she marveled at the woman’s impressive grip. She was both envious and attracted to her biceps. 

“Well, Dina, it’s nice to meet you too. You’re fast as hell, caught me off guard for such a small person.” Abby jested with a sweet laugh. Under different circumstances, Dina would have been offended; now though, she was just glad the woman had a sense of humor. 

“I was telling her that on the field! She could be a great player-” Jesse said with a tad too much enthusiasm. 

“If I could catch the frisbee.” Dina cut him off with a pat to his shoulder. As much as she appreciated being forced to partake in physical activity, there was no way she would allow Jesse to entertain the idea that _ultimate frisbee_ would become a regular thing with her. “I’m more of a fine-motor skills, kinda gal. Sports aren’t my thing.”

Abby whistled, “Coulda beat me.”

Dina smiled. Being told that from She-Ra herself was akin to being called holy by her rabbi. Except one had actually happened. As if the very thought of Judaism summoned her sister from a thousand miles away, Dina’s phone began to ring from inside the lightweight bag she had brought. Talia had been planning on calling her. Dina chided herself. How could she forget?

“Hey, I’ve got to take this,” Dina said, offering Jesse an apologetic look. He nodded once before returning his attention to Abby who started a vehement discussion about the trajectory of various frisbees… or something. The fuck if she knew. 

Standing up, Dina jogged between the maze of exhausted bodies and walked further into the quad’s lawn until she was standing under the shade of an oak. All the humor she had felt only moments ago in the company of new faces and personalities dissipated. Taking a deep breath, Dina waited a moment before answering, making sure her surroundings were quiet enough to hold the heavy conversation that was inevitably coming. 

Talia did not seem to share the same sentiment. When Dina clicked the green ‘answer’ button, she was immediately met with the noisy chatter of a crowded place. From the sound of pacing and a few shouts straying from the background buzz, Dina gathered that her sister was on break at work. 

“Talia?” Dina asked hesitantly. She had practiced for this conversation, for all the things she wanted to say to Talia; but now in the moment, her voice was smaller than she had ever intended. Dina didn’t know if the fact was betraying or revealing her true feelings. 

“Dina! Hey.” Talia spoke. At least, she assumed it was Talia. The voice was too low to truly be distinguishable.

“I can’t hear you.” 

“Give me a second.” There was a shuffle and the familiar sound of a ring as Talia stepped outside of the Mexican-style restaurant. Dina was thankful for the pause, taking a moment to clear her throat and any lingering doubts. “Sorry, I’m at work.”

“Where were you?” Dina said sharply. She heard Talia sigh from across the line and could practically see the way her forehead wrinkled and hand cocked against her hip whenever Dina pressed an issue she didn’t want to talk about. Fuck that, Dina thought to herself. She had a right to know. 

“Dina, I’m sorry. I meant to text you earlier but something came up-”

“I waited all fucking day, Talia. You don’t just cancel a five-hour flight you had booked over a month ago.” Waited all day was an understatement; Dina had been waiting for Talia’s arrival every moment of the past four days since she moved. “And you sure as hell don’t cancel it without at least telling me.” 

Talia didn’t respond for a moment. Dina almost thought that she was walking again, moving somewhere quieter than the restaurant’s foyer; but that couldn’t be right. She still heard quiet inhales and exhales from the other end of the phone, and the background noise remained the same chaotic drone.

“I was at the hospital,” Talia divulged. 

The anger that had been boiling in Dina’s chest gave way to dread. Despite the clear skies of a scorching Seattle day, Dina was struck by lighting. Nerves on fire and the hair of her arms standing on end, she felt just about ready to sprint all the way down to New Mexico if she had to.

“What do you mean hospital?” Dina asked, a frantic desperation rising to the back of her throat and threatening to suffocate her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine, my back was hurting me. It was nothing, just a strain.” Talia brushed her off. Dina wanted to shout again, the red hot anger returning for a millisecond. How could she act like this was nothing? More than anything though, Dina just yearned to be with her sister.

Dina sighed heavily, her restless pacing surely eroding the well-kept lawn underfoot. “Jesus, Talia, you can’t keep overworking. You’re going to kill yourself.” 

“You know I can’t do that Dina-”

A groan escaped Dina’s lips. They’d had the same argument a million times before, and they’d have the same one countless more times. Stubbornness ran in the family. “You could if you fucking let me help you-”

“No, Dina. You need to focus on school.” 

“What about the hospital bills-”

With an authoritative finality, Talia spoke, “Enough. I can handle them, Dina. I told you not to worry about me.”

The back-and-forth came to an end as Dina’s response died on her tongue. Her earlier indignation faded, uncovering an emotion that held as steadfast as Talia herself- hurt. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Dina asked quietly. It was spoken like a confession, light on her tongue, breaking free from the constraints of her own uncertainty.

Across the line, Talia’s short tone was replaced with a softness that Dina almost didn’t recognize in her sister’s voice. “I didn’t want to worry you over nothing.”

Maybe she was right. If her sister was to be believed, then Dina, knowing herself, would’ve blown her savings to buy a ticket back home. But Dina knew Talia better than herself. She knew Talia wouldn’t have told her even if it was serious because that was the kind of person she had always been. The kind of person she had to be, for Dina’s sake. 

“You can’t do that to me, Talia… what if something happened. What if I wasn’t there and you- you-” Voice breaking, Dina shut her eyes tightly to subdue the tears that had begun to cloud her vision. Her aggravation returned, this time directed at herself. 

“If I thought that anything like that would happen, you are the first I would tell,” Talia said. And she said it sincerely, convincingly. Still, Dina didn’t believe her.

“Is that a promise?”

A pause, “Yes.”

“Okay.” 

When Dina opened her eyes once more, she could see the world clearly. Sun-light filtered through the leaves above her head, bathing her face in warmth. Maybe it was because of the cool breeze that was hitting her skin, maybe it was because for the first time that day she was not gasping for breath, but the heat of the sun was not burning her; no, it was seeping into her bones like a blanket. And she was tired. 

“How are you?” Talia asked softly, breaking the profound silence, the quiet companionship they had discovered. For the time being, it was enough for Dina to brush aside every doubt in her mind.

“Fine.” The response was instinctual, spoken without her consent. Was she fine? 

Sitting on the ground, Dina leaned against the bark and thought of home. The grass underhand was greener and softer than any she would find in Santa Fe, the expansive forests she witnessed grow from the sky, taller than she had ever seen. The buildings were giants, grey and ominous, looking down on her like gods. She missed the plazas and courtyards, the oranges of baked clay, the houses and stores she could see without craning her neck. She missed Talia, who’s voice alone couldn’t compare to her presence. 

Maybe Dina wasn’t fine.

“Have you made any friends?” Her sister asked, unaware of Dina’s internal plight. Had she been there, she would know that Dina wasn’t okay. She would’ve held her and coaxed her problems out of her, she would’ve made her laugh; all she could do now was move-on.

Many people sprung to mind. There was Dina’s roommate, Nora, a boisterous pre-med student with a taste for cheap beer and frat boys; there was Abby, a friendly personality hidden beneath the body of an Amazonian weight-lifter; and, of course, there was Jesse. The all around perfect guy. The type of guy you’d introduce to your family. Yet, he was not the one that Dina found herself thinking about. 

“I- I met this girl.” She spoke, surprising even herself. 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, when you didn’t show up.” Dina swallowed. Talia said nothing, only waited for her to continue, “It was so late, I don’t know if I was imagining it.”

Talia laughed, and for the first time, it felt like she was beside her. “You have imaginary friends now?”

Dina shrugged to no one, lazily stretching her arm above her head, “I mean, I was pretty high-”

“Dina!” Talia chided in the same tone she would use whenever she caught Dina with weed, or a boy, or coming home late… or really just about any fun thing she did. Dina laughed. 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

“No, you’re not.” Talia sighed. “Tell me about this girl.”

Letting out a sigh of her own, Dina tilted her head back, watching the sun rays streaming through the canopy. “She was odd. I caught her trying to break into the Engineering Center in these adorable dinosaur pajamas.” As she described the girl, a smile bloomed across her face. “She didn’t talk much, though… she reminded me of myself.”

Talia snorted. “Not talking much is, like, the opposite of you.”

“No, I mean…” Dina straightened her back, biting her lip in concentration as she searched for the right words. “I think she was alone too.” The smile left her face, and Dina cursed herself for the tears that began to well in her eyes again. God, maybe she was tired, she usually wasn’t so emotional. “I just- I really miss you, Talia.”

“I miss you too.” Talia professed. Dina could see the curve of her frown if she shut her eyes, she could see the way Talia would always adjust the glasses on her nose whenever she was concerned for her sister.

“Everything is so different here.” Dina admitted. If she were being honest, it was for her own sake. Speaking to Talia allowed her to express something that she hadn’t been able to- no, that she hadn’t been ready to. 

“I know, Dee.”

Since she had stepped foot on that plane, she hadn’t given herself the chance to take in the gravity of her move; she _refused_ to. She hadn’t explored the jungle of skyscrapers out of fear of being consumed, she allowed her roommate to drag her to the first place with booze and bodies, and slept with the first guy she could get her hands on. Over and over again Dina convinced herself that she just needed a distraction to hold herself over until she could see her sister again; until she could process Talia’s absence in the comfort of her presence. 

And when she wasn’t there, it terrified her.

“They’re calling me back in. I’m sorry, Dee.” Talia apologized, snapping Dina out of her thoughts. 

“It’s fine.” Dina muttered.

“Call me soon?” 

“Of course.”

“I love you.” Talia said firmly. There was a shuffling and before Dina could reply in same, the phone beeped. Not a minute later, her phone buzzed again, this time a text notification.

_Talia: I expect to see you back for Hanukkah._

Dina quickly typed ‘im sure you will.’ before standing up and slowly walking back towards the field. The group of twenty or so players had dwindled down to three guys tossing a frisbee around. Jesse was seated by Dina’s bag and, upon seeing her, shot up and jogged to meet her.

_Talia: What’s that supposed to mean?_

Jesse stopped in front of her, bent over and panting heavily. Dina grinned at her sister’s message, knowing that she was poking the bear and delaying the inevitable. It didn’t make typing _‘loveyoubye!!!!’_ any less satisfying. 

“Hey, Dina.” Jesse managed to wheeze out eventually.

_Talia: Dina? Answer me._

Dina smiled fondly at her phone before tucking it away and turning her attention back to Jesse. He was absolutely drenched in sweat, so much so that his hair was slicked back like a greaser and his athletic shorts had sweat stains.

“Wow… you are sweaty. What happened to the gang?” Dina nodded her head towards the group who had stopped playing and began packing up their bags. 

“Abby had to leave. Something about led, I think. Or was it Lev…?” Jesse mumbled to himself.

“Oh.” 

“Yeah, everyone kinda started leaving after that.” Jesse beamed at her then, out of the blue. Dina’s heart didn’t flutter, it didn’t skip a beat, her stomach didn’t fill with butterflies; but a satisfying warmth did spread in her chest. “How was your call?”

Dina inhaled deeply, “Okay.”

That seemed to be the only accurate way to describe the call that had transpired. Perhaps ‘bittersweet’ would’ve worked as well. Talking to her sister again filled her with the familiarity she had left in New Mexico; but now that it was over, Dina no longer able to pass the days in anticipation of Talia’s arrival, the future menaced greater than before.

“Are you alright?” Jesse was watching her with concern. The genuine care expressed in his voice and the slight of his eyebrows caused Dina’s cheeks to heat up. 

“Yeah, just a lot on my mind.” She shrugged. 

She must have been unconvincing in her nonchalance, because Jesse took a step forward and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I know just the thing to cheer you up.”

“Oh really?” Dina tilted her head at the boy, giving him a playful half-smile.

Jesse smiled shyly at her, pulling his hand back to rub the back of his neck. “Dinner and a movie?” 

Mind wandering to the call with her sister, Dina hesitated. Was he asking her on a date? The thought of that made her take a step back. Here Jesse was, who on the surface at least, was a kind, considerate, funny, attractive guy- the paradigm of boyfriend material- asking her out. But something within her withdrew at the idea. Dina suspected it was the same part of her that refused to tell Talia about him.

Seeing Dina pull back, Jesse added, “My roommate will be gone tonight.”

Maybe it was too soon. Maybe she needed to get a footing in her new world, make some friends, establish a social safety net below her before teetering the tightrope. “As nice as that sounds, I really shouldn’t. I have a class tomorrow morning.”

Or perhaps, a relationship with Jesse, whatever form that may take, was the answer. There was no denying the fact that a part of her was irrevocably drawn to him. There was definitely chance in their meeting, but she chose him from a crowd; and as he looked at her now, gaze deep and unwavering despite his own nervousness, Dina knew why. He made her feel seen, he made her feel safe; Jesse made her feel not so alone in the overwhelmingness of a foreign school in a foreign city.

“How about,” Dina stepped closer to the boy, laying a hand on his arm. “You make it up to me by taking me to the campfire this Friday.”

Jesse’s eyebrows raised and he seemed at a loss for words. “That’s- wow… yeah. That sounds good! Great, even!”

If talking to her sister had proven anything to her, it was that waiting around wasn’t going to make adjusting easier. Looking at Jesse, Dina made her decision- she was going to go out with him. 

“Okay, Jesse.”

Jesse rested his hands on his hips casually, attempting to downplay his giddiness. “Oh! Do you mind if I invite my friend? I kinda left her hanging today...”

And yet, a part of Dina remained ever present in the back of her mind; a quiet minority that’s silence was a blackhole. A part of her that wanted to keep an arms’ length between her and Jesse. 

“You should have invited her.” 

Jesse’s smile dropped a tad, “Yeah, she probably would’ve enjoyed it more.”

Dina brushed past him, starting towards her bag, “Hey, I’m going to go take a nap, I’m exhausted.” Jesse caught up with her, grabbing his own bag and water bottle. “Thanks for the water, by the way.”

“Anytime.” Jesse grinned. “Do you want me to walk you to your dorm?”

“That’s okay. You’re on the other side of campus, it’d be a bother.”

Jesse hesitated for a moment, body poised as if he were caught between walking away and stepping closer. “Okay, well-” He shuffled back, shouldering his backpack. “I’ll see you on Friday?”

Dina studied the boy. His posture was stark with his shoulders pulled back tensely. Tilting his head in question and gnawing his lip, the expression he gave her was chalked full of meaning that Dina didn’t want to begin to dissect. This would be good for her, she reminded herself. 

“You can count on it.”

As she made the journey back to her dorm building, mind and body both exhilarated and dreading the prospect of going out with Jesse, Dina found a peace remembering the strange girl from the night before. She provided a comfort, a quiet understanding that neither had to explain why they were alone, only that they would be alone together. 

Dina doesn’t know why she felt compelled to tell the stranger about Talia, but when she did, it was as if a weight had lifted off her shoulders. Internally, Dina realized that had she gone to the dinner with Jesse, she wouldn’t have told him why no one had come with her. Maybe it was because she was high; maybe it was because Jesse, with both of his parents alive and present, wouldn’t understand; or maybe it was because admitting what she had to the girl was admitting it to herself. It was probably all three. 

If the stranger turned out to be a real person and not a figment of Dina’s imagination, she hoped they would meet again. The likelihood didn’t seem probable, unfortunately. She cursed herself for not giving the stranger her number, or at least learning her name. 

Dina was grateful to enter an empty dorm room. As much as she had enjoyed her roommate’s company so far, Nora was better suited to keeping her up than allowing her to rest. Throwing her bag to the floor and collapsing on her bed, Dina glanced at her alarm. Six o’clock. Fifteen hours until her first class as a university freshman.

With heavy eyes and a weary body, sleep seemed to be beckoning Dina. However, it wasn’t until many hours later, when Nora had returned and stumbled into her own bed, when the late summer sun had finally set and clouds suffocated the moonlight, that Dina was finally able to sleep through her worries. 

Had Dina affected the girl as much as she had Dina?

* * *

The smoldering sun that had been strangling Seattle ever since she had arrived was gone. Instead, the sapphire sky and snow-white clouds were replaced with a far more ominous sight. The shards of sun that would dance across the hardwood floors, that would illuminate even the darkest crevices of any room, had been extinguished. 

Perhaps it was why Dina did not wake up with the sound of her alarm. The way dark winter mornings tricks the body into believing there is just that five more minutes, okay? The rainstorm that had picked up over night and plunged the world into a prolonged sleep gave rise to a similar effect.

Dina awoke to a silhouetted figure standing over her, forcefully shaking her shoulder. If she were more impulsive, or had the adrenaline kicked in sooner, she liked to believe that her gut reaction would lean towards fight; however, what Dina did in that circumstance defied any hope of survival she had for herself under a dangerous situation.

What she did, like any level-headed young woman, was shrug off the bothersome contact in favour of huddling further under her blanket. Thankfully, the indistinguishable figure was a product of the low-lighting and when her bedside lamp flickered on, Nora was leaning over her body with annoyance written across her face. 

“Good Morning to you.” 

Dina groaned in response, pulling the blanket over her head to block out the light. 

“I missed you Friday night.” Nora said, sitting on top of Dina. Grunting, Dina struggled to push the girl’s weight off of her. 

“Ugh, don’t even start, it’s too early for this.” Using her feet as momentum, Dina pushed against the wall and shoved Nora’s body. She jumped up with a laugh. “You’re the one who dragged me there anyways. I thought you pre-med students were more… I don’t know, responsible.” 

“We are. During the semester.”

Before Dina could pull the blanket back over her head, the cotton material was ripped from her hands and off her body. Nora gave her a pointed look. With a sigh, Dina begrudgingly sat up. Doing so proved to be more difficult than anticipated, head dizzy and pain shooting up her arm and centering around her shoulder, causing her to groan. It was either from her spectacular frisbee throwing form or Nora’s harassment- most likely the love child of the two.

“You’ve broken me.” Dina cried, falling back against her mattress and clinging to the bare sheets. With a dramatic drawl, Dina moaned, “Let me sleep.”

“You really want that?” Nora said humorously. 

“Yes.”

“Check the time.”

Looking up tiredly, Dina glanced at her clock. Eight thirty. 

“Fuck! Why didn’t you wake me up sooner!” Dina scrambled out of bed. She could practically feel Nora’s eyes roll as she squinted out the window. “Why the fuck is it so dark outside.” 

Nora had taken to sitting on her bed, legs crossed and arms casually propped up behind her. “It’s gonna storm all day.”

Great, Dina thought to herself. Her first day was already going splendidly. Staggering across the room, she frantically sifted through her dresser for something to wear. Was it still hot as balls? Would the rain make it too cold for shorts? Did she need to wear jeans already? Fuck, did she even pack a raincoat?

Dina whipped her head around. Nora seemed unaware of Dina’s wardrobe crisis, or at least chose to block it out. Instead, she calmly sipped from a mug of what Dina could only assume was coffee. Nora’s attire was a sight for sleepy eyes. In blue jeans, a militaristic colored t-shirt, slightly muddy hiking boots, and sporting a black umbrella, the other girl looked about ready to take on the world. Meanwhile, Dina stood half naked, messy-haired, and with less than thirty minutes to get ready and to the other side of campus before her class began. 

The stereotype about pre-meds being responsible was definitely warranted.

Thankfully, Dina managed to get dressed and packed without too much added hassle. Nora did comment from time to time whenever Dina managed to stumble over her own feet in her haste to get ready. 

“Hmm… my diagnosis?” Nora mused after Dina stubbed her toe on the metal leg of her dorm bed, “Brain damage.”

“Fuck off.”

In the end, she ended up finding her thin windbreaker miraculously lodged between the dresser and the wall. It was several years old with some questionable patchwork, but Dina was grateful that it had a hood. The only thing that could make this day worse was catching a cold.

Eight forty-three.

Just when Dina was about to sprint out the door, Nora stood up and lightly tugged on the sleeve of her windbreaker. “Hey.” 

Dina glanced back quizzically, an outstretched hand giving her pause; and like the sun shone once more, Dina’s life brightened, if by a single ray. Nora offered up another mug, different in color but similar in the steam that poured out of the top and the gentle waft of caffeine that reached her nose. 

As if she were seeing color for the first time, or sucking a breath of oxygen after nearly drowning, Dina reached out with both of her hands and cupped the mug with unbelievable care. Gaping at Nora, the other girl simply chuckled and raised her eyebrows. Dina shook her head in disbelief before tossing back the mug. Somehow, sipping the warm liquid both calmed her nerves and filled her with energy. 

She must have downed half of it before Nora cleared her throat and gave her a pointed look. Dina simply blinked as if coming out of a trance. “Holy fuck. Marry me.” 

Nora rolled her eyes. “You’re buying next time.”

“That’s no way to treat a lady.” Dina huffed. 

Her roommate snorted. “Lady? Girl, you don’t snore like one.” 

Dina punched Nora’s shoulder lightly with her free hand. “Bitch.”

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Nora remarked with far too much haughtiness for Dina’s liking. It did the job though, the girl quickly checking her phone to see another two minutes had passed. 

“Bye!” 

Without a second glance, Dina left her roommate staring after her as she ran out the door, nearly spilling the mug.

The good news was that there were thirty minutes between her English and Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering class. The bad news was that she learned the hard way what being late on the first day entailed; on the bright side, she would never be making that mistake again. At least not with her English professor. 

As soon as she had stepped into the lecture hall, a hundred heads turned to stare at her. Dina wasn’t usually one to mind holding the attention of a room, but when that attention was judgement and second-hand embarrassment, she couldn’t help but withdraw. 

The teacher had stopped speaking when she had entered, staring Dina down with an expression that by all means looked like she had killed her puppy and was about to go all John Wick on her ass. A bit of an overkill Dina thought to herself. She didn’t test the woman’s patience though, slinking to the closest seat she could find- which happened to be in the back row beside a shady-looking frat boy who was eyeing her up-and-down. 

“Ahem.” Dina sighed in relief as the room’s attention returned to the grouchy-looking professor. “As I was saying…”

The woman went on to talk about what she expected from students as far as work ethic went and yada, yada, yada. Dina turned her head to the boy beside her, eyeing the yellow paper he had in his hand. 

“Hi!” He jumped a bit when she whispered to him, seemingly in the middle of spacing out. “Sorry! Where do I get the syllabus.”

The boy regarded her with a skeptical lift of his eyebrow. He was lanky, with shoulder-length brown hair and a scraggly patch of facial hair on his chin that reminded Dina of Shaggy. What a day it was when a member of Frat-Boy Incorporated judged her for her social presentation. Oh god, what a day it was for Dina to be late to her first day of class. 

“She already handed them out. I think they’re on her desk.” He lazily gestured to the wide mahogany desk positioned dead center at the front of the room atop a slightly raised portion of the floor; like a sort of throne. The desk itself was mostly bare, besides a few neatly stacked piles of paper. One of which was the same yellow as the boy’s.

It became abundantly clear to Dina that the most important part of the one-hour “lesson” was the attendance and syllabus- both of which happened within the first ten minutes and both of which Dina missed. Groaning, she sunk back into her seat. She’d have to wait until the end of class.

The next forty-five minutes passed slowly, Dina half-listening to the teacher and half sizing the woman up. She was tall, Dina could tell even from the back of the hall. From the light speckling of white amongst her auburn pixie cut, she guessed she must’ve been in her mid-to-late forties. As she spoke, she stalked slowly across the floor. 

For a moment, Dina was glad she arrived late. Had she come on time, she would’ve taken a seat at the front, those students now victim to penetrating eye-contact from the woman. Yeah, she had her fair share. 

The professor was articulate and Dina expected nothing less from an English teacher, especially an older one. From the way she spoke, walked, and simply poised herself, Dina knew this was a woman not to be trifled with. 

“Thank you to those who have been attentive and timely,” Dina looked down as a few students glanced at her, “Enjoy the rest of syllabus week and be prepared to take notes next lesson.”

With that, everyone slowly began to stand up and filter out of the lecture hall. They looked like a weird game of whack-a-mole, Dina noted as they all popped up from their seats. She nearly got hit with a few carelessly swinging bags as they walked by. When most of the people had left, a throat cleared from beside her. The boy was standing awkwardly waiting for her to move.

Well, no turning back now. Dina stood up and walked out into the aisle. She had never been in a gauntlet, but staring down the path where the professor was seated behind her desk watching Dina, it certainly felt like one. Every step she took was a blow to her will, a message telling her to turn back; but still, she gathered her confidence reserves and carried her feet onwards.

When she arrived in front of the desk, the woman looked up with an arched eyebrow. “Ah, yes. The dawdler.” She methodically shuffled a few papers before steepling her fingers. A classic teacher intimidation tactic, Dina knew this. “Name?”

“Dina Cardoso.”

Atop the desk, Dina noticed a golden plaque reading Professor Bates. 

“And why, Ms. Cardoso, were you late on the first day of class?” Bates inquired with a tilt of her head. Another tool of intimidation. The rhetorical question. 

“Had trouble getting to sleep.”

The professor regarded her, leaning back in her chair. She glanced at the blue coffee mug the girl white-knuckled in her grasp. Swallowing her nervousness, Dina met her stare head-on. Her eyes were blue, gaze icy sharp making Dina feel as if she had stepped back out into the rain. 

With a slow exhale, the woman’s posture relaxed; well, became less confrontational and reverted back to what seemed to be her standard rigid. “Do be better prepared on Thursday. Your next tardy will not be a warning.”

“Of course, m’am. Won’t happen again.” Dina felt the strange urge to bow as she took a copy of the syllabus and turned her back to Professor Bates. She hadn’t expected to be let off so easily. Maybe she wasn’t that bad.

Still, as Dina walked back through the gauntlet, feeling the woman’s eyes cutting into her back as she departed, she felt the overwhelming urge to run. Like when she was a child and had to turn the light off in the basement. She knew nothing was behind her, yet every time she sprinted up those stairs like her life depended on it.

This was going to be a long semester. 

If the exterior of the Engineering Center was impressive, the inside was utterly mind-blowing. The decor and architecture remained modern and minimalistic, but the entrance hall was vast and bustling with students and teachers. 

Entering through the glass double doors, Dina was awestruck. Looking up, the floors above the foyer were cleared, granting a view of the skylight far above her head. Each floor had a balcony where Dina could see heads peeking over metal railings to stare down below or marvel at the natural light above that persisted despite the rainy weather. 

Dina could’ve spent all day just examining the foyer. It relied more on natural lighting than she would've guessed with how much of an eye-sore the blinding white light fixtures were at night. Besides the obvious skylight feature, the ground floor also defied Dina’s expectations. 

The reception desk was large and shaped in a semicircle, it’s color a rich brown that complimented the dark blue carpeted floor and white walls. Dotted across the floor were round tables where students sat clicking away on their laptops or sipping at a coffee. At the back of the hall two staircases were positioned opposite of eachother, a map of the facility plastered to the wall between them. 

The space only seemed to broaden as Dina walked towards the map. There were several corridors that branched off on either side of the hall, stretching farther than Dina would’ve imagined simply from seeing the outside of the building. At the map, she quickly located the room number she was looking for and started up the stairs. 

The metal doors tucked inconspicuously at the end of the second floor hallway were an odd sight to see. They seemed hidden away, invisible to the average passerby; and it didn’t take long for Dina to figure out why. They were old, hinges slightly rusted and stains spotting the patchy paintwork. It was a jarring sight for the otherwise immaculate environment. 

Dina was tempted to knock. Checking her watch, there was still twenty minutes until the class began. Surely someone else had already arrived. Was the teacher there? Oh well, she shrugged, forcing open the awkwardly bent handle. 

The first thing that struck her when she entered the room- room, not lecture hall, thank god- was the poignant smell. Dina’s face soured. It smelled like rotten eggs. She unconsciously brought her hand up to her nose.

“You’re early.” On the opposite side of the room, a very large man was seated behind a metal bench. The table was a mess of wires, circuit boards, lightbulbs, several thick books, and a plethora of coffee stains.

“Oh, yeah. It’s raining. Is that okay?” 

The man considered her for a moment before returning to fiddling with what looked to be a blue box in his hand. “Sure, kid.”

Dina was unsure of what to do with herself then, feeling like she had somehow failed a test. Taking to shifting on her feet, she glanced around. The room was far smaller than she expected. It couldn’t fit more than twenty kids at a time. Like the door, and entirely unlike the rest of the facility, the room was a dated mess. Every wall was lined with metal shelves that reached the ceiling. Technologies old and new, broken and untouched spilled out of worn plastic tubs. Some looked recently organized, while others were an explosion of parts. The room was a chaotic technological disaster. Dina loved it. 

“I’m Dina.” Took a step forward, staring in awe at the collection of old radios displayed on the back shelf. 

“Eugene.” The man replied without looking up. His rugged face was scrunched in concentration, a pair of ironically dainty glasses rested on the end of his nose. 

Dina regarded him. Just as the room seemed to be the black sheep of the Center, the burly man was a sight for sore-eyes. He looked more akin to being in a biker gang than an electrical engineering professor, complete with a sleeveless leather jacket and cut-off red flannel. His long, greying beard hardly helped the imagery.

“What’s that smell?” Dina shriveled her nose.

Eugene paused, gently putting down the small screwdriver in his hand and looking up at Dina. His eyes were surprisingly… warm. “This.”

In his hand, he waved the blue box. Dina took another step closer until she was directly in front of the metal table, squinting at the contraption Eugene had deposited in front of her. Up close, she could see that it was, in fact, not a blue box. It was a retro radio, complete with a plastic exterior and large metal dials.

The back had been removed, revealing a vacuum tube and valve amplifier. Dina didn't know much about radios, but she did know that those parts were old- and dangerous. “Ho-ly shit, that thing is ancient.”

“Fifties model, beautiful thing. Repairing these is a lost art.” The large man grinned at her. “One wrong move and it’ll blow up in your face.”

Dina grinned back. She liked this guy. “That’s what makes it fun. Will we be learning this?”

“Not a chance in hell at the introductory level.” Eugene seemed to have caught onto the way Dina was eyeing the radio with interest, picking it back up once again. “But if there’s an interest then I’d consider letting a few of y’all observe.”

Resting her elbows on the bench, Dina studied the man as he began reassembling the radio. And once again, she was surprised. Eugene handled the retro device delicately, working with a practiced precision that didn’t seem possible with hands as large and rough as his. He muttered to himself as he worked, explaining what he was doing and talking about the pros and cons of modern radio technology compared to the classic models. Dina only smiled and listened, knowing that he was speaking for her sake. 

When he had finally finished the last screw, a loud scrape interrupted the man’s quiet murmurs. He handed the radio to Dina, looking curiously over his glasses to a sight behind her. “Another early-bird. I reckon you want to see my radio too, eh?”

Dina turned to see a familiar face. 

“Aslan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing this for practice so any and all criticism is appreciated. 
> 
> My Tumblr: belmoth-ao3.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> I made a Tumblr if you have any questions or comments, the @ is belmoth-ao3. Asks are always open!


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